GLM-5 vs GPT-5
Cost and capability comparison. For a sample workload of 1,000 input and 500 output tokens across 100,000 requests/month, GLM-5 is cheaper by about $365.00/month.
| GLM-5 | GPT-5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence | ||
| Arena · Overall(LMArena Elo — higher is better) | 1446✓ | 1406 |
| Arena rank (overall) | #29✓ | #71 |
| Arena · Coding | 1430✓ | 1395 |
| Arena · Math & reasoning | — | 1420✓ |
| Arena · Agentic / tool use | — | 1415✓ |
| Score evidence | Measured | Measured |
| Pricing (USD / 1M tokens) | ||
| Input | $1.00✓ | $1.25 |
| Output | $3.20✓ | $10.00 |
| Cached input (read) | $0.2000 | $0.1250✓ |
| Cache write | — | — |
| Blended(3:1 input:output blend) | $1.55✓ | $3.44 |
| Specs & capabilities | ||
| Provider | Z.ai (Zhipu AI) | OpenAI |
| Context window | 205K (204,800)✓ | 128K (128,000) |
| Max output | 131,072✓ | 128,000 |
| Modalities | text | text, image |
| Vision | No | Yes |
| Tool use | Yes | Yes |
| Reasoning | Yes | Yes |
| Prompt caching | Yes | Yes |
| Batch pricing | No | Yes |
| Tokenizer | approx | o200k_base |
| Release date | — | — |
| Status | ga | ga |
Intelligence scores are community Arena ratings from LMArena / arena.ai, used under CC BY 4.0. Snapshot last refreshed 18 September 2026. Scores are a relative signal, not an absolute measure of capability. A Measured score was voted on directly; an Estimated score is inherited from an identical base model (a regional/creator-prefixed hosting duplicate). See our methodology.
Compare on your own workload
GLM-5 and GPT-5 are pre-loaded. Adjust the tokens and monthly volume to see which is cheaper for your usage.
Used unless you set active users below.
Results update automatically as you type.
| GLM-5 | Z.ai (Zhipu AI) | $0.00260 | $260.00 | $3,120.00 | 204,800 |
| GPT-5 | OpenAI | $0.00625 | $625.00 | $7,500.00 | 128,000 |
FAQ
Which is cheaper, GLM-5 or GPT-5?
For a workload of 1,000 input and 500 output tokens over 100,000 requests/month, GLM-5 is cheaper, costing about $260.00/month versus $625.00/month.
What is the context window of GLM-5 and GPT-5?
GLM-5 supports 204,800 tokens, while GPT-5 supports 128,000 tokens.
Estimates for planning only. Verify current pricing with each provider.